Box-stay



(No ModeL) J. GQMIHELITGH. BOX STAY.

No.'509,'753. Patented Nov. 28, 1893.

Nrrn ares.

JOHN GEORGE llIIHELITOII, OF ST. CLOUD, MINNESOTA.

BOX-STAY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 509,753, dated November28, 1893.

Application filedMarch 30, 1893- Serial No. 4=63,Z86- (N0 model-l To allwhom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN Gnonon MIHE- LITOH, a citizen of the UnitedStates, and a resident of St. Cloud, Stearns county, State of Minnesota,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Box-Stays; andpreferred manner of carrying out the invention is set forth in thefollowing full, clear, and exact description,terminating with claimsparticularly specifying the novelty.

This invention relates to packing and storing vessels of paper orsimilar material, and more especially to the stays which are employedwith angular boxes of this character for the purpose of strengtheningthem"; and the object of the same is to construct a stay of this naturewhich is very cheap, easily applied, and out of the way, and whichstrengthens the box against strain in all directions and in some casesafiords means for withdrawing the box from a pile as in shoe stores,hardware stores, and the like where boxes are stored in this fashion.

To this end my invention consists in a loop of Wire, cord, thread, lightchain, or any suitable material, standing against the inner or outerface of the sides and ends of the box near its open top and passingtwice through the material of the box at its corners.

The invention also consists of abrace which I may sometimes use andwhich extends across beneath the bottom of the box, diagonally throughits lower corners, upward, and connects with the sides of said loop.

The invention further consistsin certain details of construction, all ashereinafter more fully described and as illustrated in the drawings,wherein Figure 1 is a perspective view of a shoe box and a portion ofits cover, showing my improved stay in one form as attached to the box.Fig. 2 is a perspective View from the under side of a somewhat largerbox provided with a stay of the same character except that it inclinesdownwardly from the rear to the front of the box; and this view alsoshows one form of the brace which is used for supporting the bottom ofthis box. Fig. 3 is a small section showing how each end of the braceshown in Fig. 2 could be carried up over the edge of the box. Fig. 4 isa perspective view showing the inside of one corner and one side of oneof these large boxes, and illustrating how the brace can be used withthe loop when the latter extends along the inner face of the sides andends of the box. Figs. 5, 6, and 7 are diagrammatic vievs illustratingdifferentstringings of the loop.

In the said drawings the letter B designates a box of pasteboard, paper,paper cloth, or other suitable light, flexible, and generally ratherweakmaterial-such, for instance, as are used by shoe manufacturers at thepresent time and each box containing one pair of shoes. 0 is the coverof this box.

B is a somewhat larger box such as are used forcontaining many pairs ofsmall shoes; and the cover of this box when in place comes down to thedotted cover line 0' in Fig. 2. It is well known to those who handleboxes of this character, and especially to the retail shoe dealer, thatthe boxes will break at their corners, often in a short time and alwaysif they are subjected to much rough usage as is sometimes the case. Theboxes are placed on the shelves in piles from four to six deep and theclerk is frequently called on to draw out the lowermost box while heholds the upper ones back with his hand. To so draw out this box he mustput his finger under the front end of the cover; and I therefore desireto be understood that my improved stay hereinafter described isapplicable to the covers of the boxes as well as to their bodies. At anyrate, the rough handling to which the boxes are subjected and the strainincident to forcing a large pair of shoes into a small box, is oftensufficient to bulge the box outward at its sides and break it open atits corners. I have therefore provided the following stay.

L is a loop preferably of light wire which in Fig. 1 passes alongagainst the outer face of the sides and ends of the box, and at thecorners thereof passes twice through the material of the box andobliquely across within the same as seen at O-the whole being preferablyarranged beneath the cover line. On the loop at the front end of the boxmay be placed a small ring R into which the operator can insert hisfinger for drawing the box to-' ward him when desired. In Fig. 5 theloop L lies against the inner face of the sides and ends of the box, andat the corners the loop passes twice outward through the material of thebox and is bent tightly around on the exterior of the box-corners asseen at O. In Fig. 6 the'same construction prevails, except that at thefront of the box the corner bends are bowed outward as at H to form twohandles, and between these handles the loop passes twice through thematerial of the box as seen at h so as to prevent the loop being drawnout of place when strain is exerted on the handles. The ring R shown indotted lines is not here necessary, but may be employed if desired. InFig. 7 the loop L is, at the left end,the same as shown in Fig. 1; butat the right end thisloop does not pass through the material of the boxbut is only led closely around upon the outerface of the corner, and thecloth or stiff paperP which is usually applied to strengthen box-cornersis pasted or glued over the wire to hold it in place. It is obvious thatthis form of connection could prevail at all corners of the box Withoutdeparting from the general idea or principle of my invention.

In larger boxes, such as those used for transporting a number of pairsof shoes or rubbers, the same objection arises that the sides of the boxare liable to be bulged outward by the weight and bulk within, and here,since the corners are more remote from each other, the sides are weaker.In addition, the bottom of the box may be forced out by the weight ofthe superimposed contents. I have therefore illustrated in Figs. 2, 3,and 4 how a brace can be employed with my improved stay on such boxes orwhenever desired. In Fig. 2 the loop L" is connected with the box as inFig. 1 except that the side lengths of such loop incline downward fromthe rear end of the box to its front end so that the rear end 7* isabove and the front end f is below the cover line C, and the frontlength of the loop (which may carry a ring R as shown or which may havehandles H as in Fig. 6) stands below the lower edge of the cover. T is atransverse wire forming a brace which passes along beneath and acrossthe bottom of the box, obliquely through its lower corners as atO-precisely as does the loop L in Fig. 1up outside the sides of the boxas at U, and has an eye I connected with the loop L. In Fig. 3 theupward extension U leads up over the upper edge of the side of the boxB, thence down again as at D, thence out through the side of the box asat d, and has an eye I engaging the loop L". This construction isadvisable in some instances since the passage of the brace through thematerial of the side as at d prevents the eye, and hence the center ofthe sidelength of the loop,

7 from rising and falling undesirably. In Fig.

4 the same brace is used, the same corner, and the same upward extensionas in Fig. 2; but, as the loop L here passes around inside the sides andends of the box as in Fig. 5, the upward extension U must be passedinward through the side of the box as at d before the eye I" can becaused to embrace the loop L. It will thus be seen that the use of thisbrace along with the loop not only strengthens the bottom and lowercorners of the box but prevents the centers of the side lengths of theloop from becoming displaced which would frequently occur in taking ofior replacing the cover since such side lengths are here of considerablelength.

I have not illustrated a cover provided with this improved stay as it isnot always necessarybecause the cover is not subjected to so much strainas the box, but it will be obvious that the oblique corners 0 cannotwell be used on the cover since they would strikethe corners of the boxwhen the cover was put on. As above stated, with shoe boxes the greateststrain on the cover is in withdrawing the box from a pile, and if mystay with its handle or ring is used this strain is not exerted.

I do not, of course, limit myself to the materials or parts nor to theirsizes, proportions, or exact details; and I reserve the right to makesuch changes in the specific construction as will come within the spiritof my invention.

\Vhat is claimed as new is 1. A stay for angular boxes of paper and thelike, consisting of a wire loop extending along the sides and ends ofsuch box and secured to its corners, and a brace passing under andacross the bottom of the box, twice through the material thereof, intoand obliquely across within the lower corners, up the sides, andconnecting with said loop, as and for the purpose set forth.

2. A stay for angular boxes of paper and the like, consisting of a wireloop extending along the sides and ends of such box and se cured to itscorners, and a brace passing under and across the bottom of the box,twice through the material thereof, into and obliquely across within thelower corners, up the sides, over the upper edges, down again, andconnecting with said loop, as and for the purpose set forth.

3. A stay for angular boxes of paper and the like, consisting of a wireloop extending along the sides and ends of such box and secured to itscorners, the corner fastening thereof at the rear end of the box beingabove, and at the front end below the lower edge of the sides of thecover when in place, and a handleconnected with the loop at the frontend of the box, as and for the purpose set forth.

4. A stay for angular boxes of paper and the like, consisting of a wireloop extending along the sides and ends of such box and secured to itscorners, the stretch of wire across the front end of the box being bowedoutward therefrom to form two handles, between which it passes twicethrough and is connected with the box, as and for the purpose set forth.

5. A stay for angular boxes of paper and the like, consisting of a wireloop extending ICC IIC

along the sides and ends of such box and passing through the materialthereof at its corners, the stretch of wire across the front end of thebox being bowed outwardly therefrom to form two handles, between whichit is connected with the box, as and for the purpose set forth.

6. A stay for angular boxes of paper and the like, consisting of a wireloop extending along the sides and ends of such box and secured to itscorners, the corner fastening thereof at the rear end of the box beingabove, and at the front end below the lower edge of the sides of thecover when in place, as and for the purpose set forth.

7. A stay for angular boxes of paper and the like, consisting of a wireloop extending along one face of the sides and ends of such box andpassing twice through the material thereof at its corners, and a bracepassing under and across the bottom of the box, twice through thematerial thereof, into and 0bliquely across within the lower corners, upthe sides, and connecting with said loop, as and for the purpose setforth.

8. A stay for angular boxes of paper and the like, consisting of a Wireloop extending along one face of the sides and ends of such box andpassing twice through the material thereof at its corners, and a bracepassing under and across the bottom of the box, twice through thematerial thereof, into and obliquely across within the lower corners, upthe sides, over the upper edges, down again, and connecting with saidloop, as and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto subscribed rny signature on thisthe 27th day of March, A. D. 1893.

JOHN GEORGE MIHELITGH.

Witnesses:

EDWARD AMBORN, H. O. WAITE.

